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In the Beginning
"Once upon a time, the world was good and perfect and extravigant. A Utopia. Then, the darkness spread throughout the lands, released by curiosity and made evil sweep through the minds of everybody. People would steal, lie, and kill. Then, a powerful prophet named Noah recieved a vision from God to round up everyone who was going to survive to repopulate the new world, for the current one... would be destroyed. And so the prophet made an Ark, a great defense against the Flood that drowned all the bad people, and shone brightly through the darkness. For seven days and seven nights, Noah and his people hid away in the Ark, protected by it's power, until the Flood was over. The people then did as they were instructed, and rebuilt Earth, to be better than the one it was before.-"thumb|300px|right|Opening "-Which just goes to show that everyone, in their lifetime, has a purpose. Even you two." Two young boys were laying in separate beds as their mother sat in a chair between each bed and told them the story of the first Great Flood. One of them, Akihiro, added "You forgot the best part!" The mother, Choso, raised a brow with a skeptical smile "Oh? And what part would that be, Akihiro?" He chimed aloud "And Noah and his people lived happily ever after!" She chuckled to herself "That's right, Akihiro. Now you both get to sleep." The other child, Sadow, smiled and opened his arms for a hug "Good night, mama." She smiled and hugged him, then Akihiro. "Good night, children. I'll see you in the morning." As she walked out, she turned out the light. Highway to Hell An old Jeep that has seen better days in terms of appearance glided across a desert road. Booming through the speakers was Highway to Hell by AC/DC. A tanned woman with blonde hair, wearing expensive perfumes, lip gloss, large hoop-shaped earrings, and other accessories texted with her left hand while talking into a small pink cellphone with her right. The man driving the Jeep was a man in a white leisure suit, large sunglasses, and a Cuban cigar wiped his brow from the heat. He complained mentally "She '''had' to get the convertible with the missing roof... Pfft, cool-looking my ass!"'' She spoke into the phone "One second, Emma... Will you turn that down!? I'm on the phone!" Annoyed by her need to consistently talk to her friends, he complied and turned down the volume. Just as he did so, she returned to her conversation. The man reached into the compartment in his door and pulled out a folded tissue and neatly wiped his sweaty brow once more. He squinted his eyes, trying to make out what in the distance looked like a sandstorm. His eyes widened in surprise as the woman next to him raised a brow at him in annoyance "What is it this time, Harold? More Armadillos?" The man shook his head slowly and pointed forward, opting the woman to turn her head and noticed the large bus speeding towards them, kicking up sand behind it's twirling tires. The man's hands shook in fear as the bus looked as if it were going to ram them head-on. The woman yelled "H-Harold!" He yelled back "On it!" He put the gear in Reverse and sped on the pedals, directing the Jeep so it would turn around. The woman spoke back into the cellphone "Emma, I'll have to call you back..." After hanging up, they both screamed in fear as they were comically chased after by the bus. The man looked into the sideview mirror at the silhouetted driver and honked his horn, yelling back "What the hell is your problem!?" The woman pleaded "Pull over, Harold! Pull over!" Finally, he complied and drove off the road and onto the dirt. Stopping abruptly, he waited as the bus circled around them and stopped so that the door was facing the front of their Jeep. The silhouetted driver opened the door as the woman clutched the man's arm fearfully. Slowly stepping down the ramp-like steps that lead off the bus, the driver revealed themselves to be a tall man with short, swept-back white hair, hazel eyes, tan skin, and wearing black armour with red cloth on it. He looked them over sternly and demanded "Water." They looked at it comically confused and afraid. He extended a hand "Water." After a moment, the woman realized what he meant and pushed the man's arm "Water, Harold! He wants water!" Harold nodded "Oh!" and reached to the back of the seat. The woman smiled at the man "You gave us quite a scare there, mister." The white-haired driver simply watched the man as he was searching the back of the Jeep. The woman asked shakily "S-So... you from around here...?" At this, the man whirled around and fired into the driver's chest with a shotgun. He smirked and pumped it, sending out a smoking shell-casing "How's it taste, motherfucker!? ...Huh!?" He was amazed that the driver was only knocked back by the shot instead of the shells tearing through his armour at that range. The driver looked up at them, blood trickling down from the side of his mouth "The Bone-Skin Bandits, Harold and Hartley." The man smirked arrogantly while reloading "You hearda' us?!" The driver replied "I read about you on a poster while I was in Chesterfield. Wanted for seventeen accounts of theft, four accounts of murder, and two accounts of rape. You people are quite the trash, aren't you?" At this, Harold angrily fired another shot at the driver's forehead, blowing a hole through it and covering both his face and the part of the bus behind his head in blood. He crumpled to the ground, blood leaking onto the dirt. Hartley sighed in annoyance "Did ya' have ta' make such a mess, Harold?! I mean, Jesus! The guy's brains are all over the hood of our car!" Harold ordered "Well, clean it up so it won't be!" She made an angry face at him and walked out of the car, pulling a towel out from behind the Jeep. He handed her a bottle of water to wetten the towel. She struggled to open it "Haro-" Before she could finish, the driver had grabbed her wrist. "Please, let me." He took the bottle from her and opened it, and proceeded to chug the entirety of it, completely missing any wounds. Her eyes were in disbelief and she dropped to her knees "B-B-But... how...?! You... were..." Harold quickly grabbed an axe from the trunk of the Jeep and rushed toward the driver to behead him. As he let the blade of the axe descend upon the driver's head, it was blocked by the metal attachment to the driver's sleeve. He didn't look at him and downed the bottle "Ah! Refreshing." Harold quickly backed up and proceeded to make another devastating chop, only to be bifurcated by the driver's newly-unsheathed blade, which was a rather large, curved white dagger, now coated red with the criminal's blood. He smirked at him as Hartley's eyes widened in fear and hysteria. Harold's torso fell backward, and the legs crumpled to the ground. Hartley pleaded "Please! I'll give you whatever you want! Money, food, water! Even sex! Anything! Just please don't kill me!" Tears flooded her eyes, causing makeup to mix with it. He looked disgustedly down at her "You can have the bus." He tossed her the keys to it but quickly poised his blade toward her face "Now give me the Jeep." She pointed to the Jeep "They're in already. But... you are going?" He nodded while stepping past Harold's body, which was in halves. His chest heaved up and down in heavy breaths as blood spilled down the sides of his mouth. He choked on blood while glaring up at the driver, who ignored him and entered the Jeep. Hartley asked "C-Can I come with you?" He simply answered comically "Nope." and sped off toward the direction he was originally headed, leaving Hartley behind with her mutilated partner and the bus. Looking down at the seat next to him, the driver located the pair of sunglasses Harold was wearing and put them on to block out the sun. The Horse He Rode On The Jeep stopped in an old town and the white-haired man exited, glancing around as people went about their own business, not even noticing him. He looked around for a local tavern and managed to locate a pub sign indicating his objective. He entered it and immediately noticed a typical scene in bars these days: a fight. Though it didn't seem like your average drunken brawl, it was a little more than that. Some muscle-bound drunks decided to pick on a little girl who wasn't aloud in the bar. "Get lost, rat!" "This ain't no place for girls!" "Get outta' here!" The girl looked up at all three of them and crossed her arms, standing against them "I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm not drinking or anything. I see no reason why I should leave." The drunk farthest left pointed toward a sign that read "NO CHILDREN ALOUD!" and belowed "That's why!!" Someone pointed on his shoulder and he whirled around angrily, only to cower in fear before a ridiculously large and pale giant, who wore shackles on his wrists and ankles. The giant gruffed out "Please, leave the girl alone. She's with me." The drunk was noticeably afraid of the larger man, and nodded while heading back over to a seat. His friends did the same. The large man turned to the girl and asked "Are you alright? Did they harm you?" She shook her head "No, I'm alright. How did the meeting go?" He shook his head "Not well. It seems we will have to make contact with your father again soon." She nodded and turned to leave but bumped into the white-haired man. She looked up at him, who was in turn looking at her friend. He asked "You're a giant?" The giant, in return, nodded "The name is Baldr. And this is Pandora." He gestured to the young girl. The white-haired man identified himself as "Sadow Yatsumaru." Baldr looked shocked upon hearing his name. Pandora turned to him with a raised brow and asked "What is it, Baldr?" Baldr asked "Did you say Yatsumaru? From the Clan of Yatsumaru?" Sadow nodded sternly and Pandora persisted "What about Yatsumaru? Who are they? Why are they so important?" Baldr ignored her and scratched his chin in thought as she shook his hip in a vain attempt to get his attention. "Perhaps you could help us with a... minor task. My master, her father, will pay you handsomely." Sadow folded his arms behind his head carelessly and turned around "Pass." Baldr disappeared and reappeared in front of him comically to block his escape "...Please." Sadow's eye twitched as he stared up at his man-made blockade. "I said no." Baldr turned to Pandora "Miss Pandora, if you would..." She nodded and took to Sadow's side, her eyes becoming wide and staring up at him beggingly. Sadow muttered "That... isn't going to work..." She sniffed and pretended to start crying. In return, Sadow slapped his palm against his face in shame "Pitiful. What do you people have in mind by a... minor task?" Baldr explained "Miss Pandora is in need to meet her father, the mighty blacksmith Hephaestus." Sadow wondered "Hephaestus? A mighty blacksmith? Must be some burly old man." Baldr continued "I, her guardian, may be strong, but recently there has been a disturbance in the lands surrounding this town." Sadow raised a brow "Disturbance?" Baldr nodded "Raiders. Ones who bear beastly traits." Sadow sighed and muttered "Oni..." Baldr tilted his head "You know of such creatures?" Sadow, in turn, nodded "They are denizens of the upper regions of Hell now escaped onto the earth to do as they please. Thankfully, they are not as hostile as their lower-caste brethren. However, Demons are Demons and all are vicious in one way or another." Pandora gave a suspicious look at Sadow from behind Baldr "How does this guy know this much about Hell and Demons...? Is he some kind of Warlock or something?" Baldr asked cautiously, fearful he might decline "I need your help to guide Miss Pandora to her father in Olympus. Can you help me?" Sadow looked down at the girl sternly and then back up at Baldr "Very well." The Head of the Pack Sadow was in a room he purchased for himself while they were in a small inn. He had spent almost an hour arranging his items in a bag he bought at the local supply store for the trip. Pandora knocked on his door and opened it, peeking inside with a playful smile "Hiii~" Sadow didn't look at her and continued packing his possessions, and greeted simply "Yo." She asked kindly with her arms folded behind her "Need any help?" He shook his head and noticed she had already begun examining a ruby and quickly snatched it. She pursed her lips poutingly "Olympus is a good distance away so we might as well get to know each other. After all, your job is to ensure our survival, right?" Sadow clarified while folding a red silk cloth and placing it gently in a bag "Your survival. The giant can handle himself. She shrugged "True but Demons are tough, right? You'll need to ensure his protection as well." Sadow socketed a saphire into a hole in his brief case "Whatever." Closing and locking it, he turned to Pandora "Can your father, instead of paying me, repair my equipment for free?" Pandora nodded while smiling at him "Why, is your gear all banged up?" Sadow glanced down at his holstered blades "...A little bit." Pandora grimaced "I hope you're all that Baldr says you are, otherwise we've got a crippled warrior on our side." Sadow smirked down at her "I'm far from crippled, lass. Just remember to stay out of my way when I'm working." As he left, she followed close behind, wondering "Who is this guy...? What is he...? And why does Baldr have so much faith in him...?" Meeting at the front of the inn, Sadow and Pandora found Baldr leaning against the brick wall, sipping a brew that would be considered large to their much smaller hands. He turned to them "Are you ready to go?" Sadow nodded and asked "Which way will we be heading?" Baldr pointed past him "To the east, across the Winding Valley. Up in the mountains, past the valley, we will find Olympus." Sadow nodded "Very well. And you expect trouble from these raiders?" Baldr shook his head "Not expect, gurantee. I had to rough some up just to get to this point." Sadow smirked "Alrighty then. Let's get moving, the sooner we head out, the sooner we get to Olympus." Nodding in agreement, the two followed Sadow to his newly acquired Jeep. Sadow scratched his chin while glancing at Baldr, wondering how the giant would fit in their tiny vehicle. Noticing him, Baldr answered "Do not worry, I am quick for my size. I should be able to keep up with you." Sadow raised a brow, wondering how a giant could possibly keep up with a Jeep, but shrugged it off and opened the passenger seat door for Pandora. Sadow was quite surprised by Baldr's athleticism. Despite driving more than one hundred miles per hour, Baldr was capable of keeping up despite his heavy size and mass. His chains shook wildly as he sped to keep up with the fast-moving vehicle. He panted with each step and his chest heaved. Clearly, he was not used to doing this. Next to him, Pandora was staring out at the woods, watching calmly as the dew-filled area remained blissfully at peace. The air smelled of fall, and every now and then a swift wind would blow and Pandora would shake, her simply shirt unnable to keep her warm from such weather. Sadow took pity on the girl and unhooked the red cloth that was attached to his armour and wrapped it around her shoulders. She looked back at him, slightly surprised by the generosity, and smiled "Thanks." Sadow looked away "No problem." He scanned the area. Something was surely amiss. They were nearing the Gale Gorge, which meant crossing the long bridge to reach the end of Winding Valley. Yet they have not met a single opponent. Sadow's eyes shifted to the front, where he immediately caught his words. Standing in front of the bridge were two individuals garbed in thrown-together military uniforms, much like a small-time militia. One wore fur over his shoulder and spoke in a gruff, Brittannian accent "Oi! No crossin' da' bloody bridge wit'out 'ome shinies!" The second folded his arms and smirked at them arrogantly. Sadow noted his ears being that of a wolf, his eyes being slitted, and his teeth being shaped like canines. Sadow stepped out of the car "Mind telling me what would happen if we refuse?" The Brittannian Oni laughed loudly then elbowed his companion, who revealed a submachine gun and blazed the hood of the car with fire. Thankfully, none of the bullets managed to pierce the engines. Sadow muttered "I see..." He turned to Pandora to check if she was alright and noticed Baldr wasn't anywhere to be seen. He smirked as he realized Baldr was preparing to ambush them. The fur-wearing Oni again ordered "Hand 'em over! Now!" Sadow acted like he was reaching into his pocket while striding slowly toward them when Baldr jumped out from behind some bushes and swung his chains toward the second Oni hitman. The end of the chain hit the Oni's hand, knocking the machine gun out of it. Baldr swung his chains again and, in midair, they shattered the gun, the pieces of which fell to the bottom of the canyon. The second Oni gripped his pain-filled hand while seething "Bastard!" With a precise chop, Baldr's massive wrist-shackles slammed against the Oni's neck, sending him flying against a tree. The fur-wearing Oni bellowed while turning to run away "Ya' tricked us!" Sadow tackled him onto the wooden bridge and it rocked from their weight. Pinning him down, Sadow proceeded to lay punch after punch into the Oni's back, knocking the air out of him. However, the Oni's reflexes allowed him to turn and elbow Sadow in the jaw. Stunned, Sadow was knocked back and unnable to prevent the Oni from kicking him off the bridge and into the canyon below. Pandora, by this time already out of the Jeep and watching the events unfold, went wide-eyed and screamed "SADOOOW!!" as he plummeted to the dark depths. The Oni turned to her and, with primal speed, subdued her and held her hostage against Baldr. He flipped out a pocket knife and held it against her neck while coughing, still recovering from Sadow's attack. "Let... go of 'im!" Baldr did as commanded and released the Oni he had been choking. The now-freed Oni commanded "You two are coming with us!" All Pandora could do as she was guided across the bridge to the Oni encampment was look down at the canyon which claimed Sadow's life. A Rival Unparalleled "The blade is your life. Without you, there is no blade. And without your blade, there is no you. It is like your arm. Simply another limb to do a specific job." Sadow's unconcious body lay next to a stream as he continued to hear things from his past. Things he had hoped forgotten. "That's another life you had failed to save, Sadow. Just like Ryoshi." "Shutup..." "Your hesitation and failure to realize the true scope of things cost the life of your own brother." "Shutup...!" "And anyone who is foolish enough to trust you, to place their faith in you, will end up getting killed as well." "SHUTUP!!" Sadow sprung awake and fired a stream of red electricity from his index and middle fingers toward the trees opposite of the rocks he was laying on and the stream next to him. Barely dodging the stream of electricity was a blue-haired Angel, who comically dived out of the way just in time. Sadow's eyes widened and he asked while panting from the nightmare "Who are you?!" The Angel panted in fear from the sudden attack and answered "I-I am... Uriel... Angel of..." Sadow realized he had narrowly missed her and apologized "S-Sorry... I had a... rough dream..." She sighed in relief to know that he wasn't intending to kill her "Clearly! You were tossing and turning forever! And when I tried to nudge you awake, you nearly fried me!" He wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked "If you're an Angel, what do you want of me...?" Immediately forgetting the fact that he had nearly zapped her, she clasped her hands in a prayer-like fashion while beaming at him "I am Uriel, Guardian Angel over those who have fallen into despair! I am here, Sadow Yatsumaru, to give you..." she tapped his nose with her gloved finger "...a second chance!" He narrowed his eyes, confused "...What?" She nodded "It's true! All you have to do is prove to me that you are, indeed, a couragious and noble spirit wishing to be freed from his bonds of damnation and you will be set free!" Sadow raised a brow "Freed from what?" She placed her hands on her hips sternly "Don't think I'm not aware, Sadow. You sold your soul for power." His eyes faltered "How can you free, what is not trapped or enslaved? I wanted the power, and they gave it to me. Now your asking me if I don't want it anymore?" Her face sunk to a disappointed expression as her wings kept her aloft "A-Are you sure?" Sadow nodded and stood up, brushing rocks off of himself. Uriel grimaced "Look, I know you wouldn't want to pass up such an offer so readily so, how about I just watch you and see if you are qualified for it. In the meantime, you can reconsider. Okay?" She smiled at him brightly, but he clearly didn't look as amused "Fine... Just stay out of my way, though." He started to walk off. Startled by his sudden leaving, Uriel sped to catch up with him "Wait up!" Sadow didn't look at her and kept walking "If you can't keep up, you'll be left behind." Frowning, she muttered "Oh, you are so bad..." Meanwhile, in the encampment, Pandora watched as Baldr was chained to several trees. She yelled "Don't hurt him!" The fur-wearing Oni yelled back "Shutup!" As he was raising his hand to hit her, he was stopped by the voice of a woman "Bardolf, please refrain from hurting the young one. I do detest violence against children." At this, everyone looks up to see a silver haired woman with blue, slitted eyes and wolf ears smirking down at them. She wore a purple uniform with white fur, gloves and boots resembling grey wolf claws, and hoop-earrings. Bardolf immediately pounded his right fist against his chest, closed his eyes, and bowed his head to her "My apologies, Lupa." She dropped down and joined them "It's alright. Everyone makes mistakes. Now, who are these people?" He answered "Travelers who were trying to cross our bridge. They put up a good fight, one of them fell into the canyon. We managed to retrieve these two." Pandora declared "Your bridge?! That bridge was paid for by the honest people's taxes and built by hard working individuals. You people did do a single thing to help make that bridge, yet your claiming it as your own! How is that fair?!" Bardolf stood aside as Lupa knelt before Pandora, meeting her eyes. She smiled and petted her head gently "Such a brave young girl. What's your name?" She answered bitterly "Pandora..." Lupa smiled "What a pretty name, Pandora. I am Lupa, Alpha Female of the Dusk Killers Pack. I'm sure you've already met Bardolf and Gunnolf." Bardolf snickered down at her while the second Oni from before was still securing Baldr's restraints. Pandora asked "Why are you doing this...? Why are you taking things from the people? Is it so hard to not just get jobs for yourselves?" Lupa sighed "It's complicated, Pandora. We're, obviously, not like other people." She gestured to her ears "And, thus, people tend to get a little scared and prejudiced. And when that happens, finding work isn't as easy as one hope." Pandora grimaced "Regardless, you realize that people are going into poverty because of you guys, right?" Lupa shrugged "Better them than us. Survival of the fittest is what this Pack lives by." Pandora objected "But those people haven't done anything to deserve what you're doing to them!" Lupa turned to her with sad eyes "To feed your family, what would you do? Would you let those you care about starve while others who you don't even know and who would never even appreciate what you do for them get to survive? You tell me which is the lesser of two evils." Pandora noticed, out of the corner of her eye, a young Oni boy who's hair was white and eyes dark blue. He resembled Lupa greatly, and Pandora could only guess it was her son. As Lupa walked away, she ordered "Search the lower parts of the valley for a body. See if it has anything valuable. Happy hunting, Fenrir." Laying in a tree was a scruffy blonde-haired Oni with fangs and yellow, slitted eyes. A Meat Cleaver was stuck into the bark near him, presumably his weapon. He sighed "Alright. It better not have fallen to far down the valley, Lupa. I'm not trailing my ash all the way down there." He spoke with a lisp. Lupa smiled and walked on, ushering the young boy to her side. He leapt down after pulling out his Meat Cleaver and sheathed it behind his waiste. He walked past Baldr and smirked at him. Sadow walked on as Uriel flew above him, dancing in midair and humming to herself. Sadow's facial expression expressed annoyance by the Angel's antics. Finally he stopped in place and grabbed her ankle, stopping her. She looked down at him with a raised brow "Hm? What is it, Sadow?" He whispered "Shhh... Do you hear that?" She looked around and shook her head "I don't hear anything." Just as she said this, Fenrir stood atop a large rock and smirked down at them "What do we haf here? A black knight and an Angel? Sinsh you guysh clearly don't haf the traitsh we Oni haf, I can only guesh you are intrudersh who musht be brought before our Pack Leader." Sadow smirked and unsheathed his blades "I'd be obliged to, if you don't mind answering some questions." Fenrir laughed at this "Why should I do anything for you? I am Fenrir, Alpha Male of the Dushk Killersh!" He unsheathed his Meat Cleaver and pointed it at Sadow "Now if you don't come with me I'll be forshed to bring your mangled corpshesh back. Either way shuitsh me jusht fine!" Uriel hid behind Sadow while whimpering in fear "That guy is pretty scary... And those claws, slitted eyes, and teeth... He's an Oni!" Sadow muttered while staring at him "I know... Miss Angel, please go hide behind a rock or tree or something. I will handle this guy quickly." Fenrir scoffed "Handle me? You'll handle me? I'll teach you shome reshpect!" At this, he dove off the rock and landed his right foot on another rock wall. Propelling himself off of it, he jumped down while letting his Cleaver fall in a chopping maneuver to slice Sadow's skull in half. However, Sadow used his white blade to guard the attack and forced it forward, knocking Fenrir into the bark of a tree. Sadow turned to Uriel "Go!" She was startled by the sudden command and nodded. She quickly scrambled to hide behind a tree. Fenrir stared at him in disbelief and thought to himself "No way! He... He blocked my attack! Not only that, but... He had enouf shtrength afterwardsh to shend me shpiraling! Who ish thish guy...?" He said aloud "You've got good movesh, for a human. Tell me, what'sh your name, prey?" Sadow answered "Sadow Yatsumaru." Fenrir snickered "Shadow Yatshumaru, huh? Never heard of ya'. But then again, we don't hear much in theshe mountainsh." They stared at each other for a while before Sadow broke the silence "Do you happen to know where the little girl and the giant are being kept?" Fenrir smirked "Information ishn't cheap theshe daysh, Yatshumaru. You're gonna have ta' defeat me if you wanna know where they are." Sadow smirked back at him "Figures." At this, Sadow charges toward Fenrir, who in turn, charges toward Sadow. Their blades clash violently as Uriel watches on, in awe. As they pass each other, they turn and swing their signature weapons at each other. Sadow blocks Fenrir's strike with his black blade and swings at him with the white one. However, Fenrir proves to be quicker and dodges the swing. The opening Sadow leaves is noticed by Fenrir, and Sadow realizes this with a single thought "Shit!" At this, Fenrir kicks him in the gut and he flies back, slamming against the tree Uriel is hiding behind. The tree breaks from his weight and he crashes through it, falling on top of her. Fenrir sees their position and begins laughing hysterically as Uriel realizes she is sitting on Sadow's face. She blushes and quickly gets up and bows "My apologies!" Sadow laid there with an annoyed look from the added humiliation of both Fenrir's strike and his awkward landing. He rose to his feet and brushed himself off casually "Don't worry about it. Just find a different hiding spot. This may get rough." At this, he threw his white blade at Fenrir. It spun in circles in midair as it neared him. As he was still laughing, he noticed the spinning blade near his face only a moment before it sliced his cheek, spurting a streak of red blood onto the pebbles he was standing on. The spinning blade, like a boomerang, circled around Fenrir and returned to Sadow, who caught the handle gracefully. Fenrir seethed angrily "You bashtard. You caught me off guard." Sadow smirked and took a battle stance as Fenrir gripped the handle of his cleaver. After staring at each other for a moment, both combatants charged forth toward their enemy, bent on defeating the other. Meanwhile, back at the encampment, Lupa and her son were in her personal tent. He lay in a small tub as she scrubbed his back with a yellow sponge. He asked meekly "Mum...?" She smiled "Yes?" He followed "Who are those people outside?" She answered while adding soap to his hair "Just some stray travelers." After a moment of silence, he asked again "Why are they here?" She replied "They are a bit lost so we've offered to keep them here for the night. They'll be gone by morning." She poured water on his head to wash out the soap with a silver pitcher. He closed his eyes tightly to avoid getting soap in them. When the water had run down his face completely, he continued "Am I aloud to talk to them?" She said sternly "No, Romulus. Do not pester our guests." He nodded "Alright, mum." She smiled and hugged her son, thinking to herself "I'm so lucky to still have you, Romulus." Rushing into her tent was Gunnolf, who was panting from a long trek "Lupa!" She turned to him "What is it, Gunnolf?" He panted and explained while regaining breath "Fenrir... Down by the stream... Fighting some... White-haired guy... Seems to be having... trouble..." Lupa's eyes narrowed in concern "If Fenrir is having trouble with him, this man could pose a great threat. Fenrir is our toughest fighter, so if he loses we might be in trouble." She ordered "Get Bardolf and Randall out there to assist him. You aid them too, Gunnolf." He nodded "Very good, madam." He rushed out the tent as Romulus turned to her "What's happening, mum?" She didn't look at him but kept her slitted eyes on the tent entrance "Nothing, sweety. Nothing at all." Rifle shots echoed around the canyon as the Oni bandits fired at Sadow, who had to dodge not just the bullets but Fenrir's wild cleaver as well. Nearing his target, Fenrir proceeded to kick Sadow hard, sending him into a boulder next to a large rock face, where his head slammed against it jerkingly. Uriel screamed "Sadow!" In a haze, with blood trickling down the side of his head, Sadow fell to his knees, his vision becoming blurry. Everything faded to darkness as he heard a song playing in his head in a whimsical, childish voice. "You know I ca-a-an't smi-i-ile witho-o-out you~ Can't smi-i-ile with-o-o-out you~ I ca-a-an't laugh and I ca-a-ant sing~ I'm finding it hard to do anything!" Sadow's vision started to return but the song continued to play on in his mind, like if on a record. Uriel was shouting for him to run, but he could barely hear her. Fenrir was striding towards him with a confident grin on his face. "You came along just like a song~ And brightened my da-a-ay~ Who'd have believed that you were part of a dream~ Now it all seems lightyears awa-a-ay~" Fenrir grabbed a handfull of his red cloth that was attached to his armour and hoisted him onto his feet, proceeding to arch his fist back and clench it into a ball. "Now you know I fe-e-eel sad when yo-o-ou're sad~ I feel gla-a-ad when you're glad~ If you only knew what I'm goin' through~ I just can't smile without yo-o-ou~" Fenrir slammed his balled fist hard into the side of Sadow's face. A loud crack was heard, signifying he disclocated his jaw. He continued to way-lay on him with his grin unfading, his subordinates watching on in satisfied smirks. Uriel just looked on helplessly. "What are you doing?" A voice rung out in his head in a questioning tone. Sadow thought back "Shutup!" "You're letting this fool beat you." "I said shutup!" "Shouldn't there be something else you could be doing right now?" Sadow proceeded to slam his fist into Fenrir's face, sending him whirling back and releasing Sadow from his grip. He managed to regain himself before falling in the stream, and turned his bleeding glare over to Sadow, who was now on his feet with his blades at the ready. Fenrir spat blood at the ground "I wash angry before, Yatshumaru... But now I am royally pished off!" At this, he dives to the side to snatch his Cleaver while his men continue firing at Sadow, who managed to take advantage of their imperfect aim and roll to the side, pickup a rock, and throw it at one of the Oni marksman. It hit him directly in the head, causing the dazed Oni to fall and hit the ground below, causing a hard thud as his fellows gasped and reloaded. Sadow took advantage of the time he had and dove across the stream, tackling a distracted Fenrir and pinning him to the ground. He banged his head against Fenrir's once, sending both into a daze. Fenrir shook away the daze and freed himself of Sadow's grip. He followed it up by kicking Sadow into the stream and attempting to stomp on his stomach, but the white-haired warrior managed to roll out of the way of his foot in time. Sadow brought his leg up and kicked Fenrir's, knocking the Oni on one knee. He quickly followed it up with a hard punch the stomach, causing the wolfman to gasp for air. An Oni with a shotgun ran down to assist Fenrir and aimed it at Sadow, who dived out of the way of the shot. He ran up to him with inhuman speeds and grabbed the barrel of the shotgun, whirled it around, and slammed the back of it into the back of the unfortunate Oni's head, breaking the gun and knocking him unconcious. He quickly whirled around, swinging the broken gun at a charging Fenrir, who guarded it with his blade. Sadow spat mockingly "Ha! That all you Oni got?! At this rate, I'll have all you fur-balls beat by sundown!" At this, he kneed Fenrir in the stomach, sending him back as another Oni prepared to rush him from behind. Before his bayonet could pierce Sadow's back, however, he whirled around and kicked the Oni straight in the stomach, sending him to the ground. Sadow followed it up with a hard hit to the hit to the Oni's head with the broken shotgun. Growing cocky from his success, Sadow looked around with a smirk "Who's next! Bring it on! Bring it-" Before he could finish, however, Fenrir kneed him in the lower back, sending him to his knees and looking up at his enemy while leaning back. Fenrir clenched his teeth angrily and brought his clawed-fist down on Sadow's face hard, knocking him unconcious. The rest of his Oni reinforcements joined him below as Uriel cupped her hands around her mouth "Sadow! Oh no!" Fenrir commanded "Take thish shit shtain to the camp. Lupa'll deal with him." At this, he looked around but could find no sign of Uriel. Grimacing, he shrugged and marched off, leaving his subordinates with the job of carrying the unconcious Sadow back. Paragons of our age and a New Bond Formed Fenrir entered the camp, followed by the Oni mercenaries carrying Sadow. Pandora exclaimed "Sadow!" He awoke from hearing his name, and glanced to the source of it. Noticing Baldr chained to a large tree and Pandora tied to a stake in the ground by a thin strip of rope connected to her neck. He smirked "Yo." and her eyes glimmered with worry. Blood was trickling down the side of his head. Noticing that he has awoken, the Oni drop him and prod him to keep moving. Fenrir enters his leader's tent "We haf captured another one. Thish one put up quite the fight." Lupa nodded "I will meet with him and see if we cannot come to a mutual agreement." She turned to her pup "Romulas, stay here. I will be back shortly." He nodded and sat cross-legged on the fur carpet in their tent as she stepped out with Fenrir. She surveyed the captive Yatsumaru diligently and smiled "My man, Fenrir, tells me you've given us quite the chase. Mind telling me you're name." He answered bluntly and to-the-point "Sadow of the Yatsumaru." Lupa raised one of her eyebrows inquisitively, perked by the mention of Yatsumaru "A Yatsumaru, huh? That would explain it. One from such a skilled swordsman-producing family would no doubt be able handle themselves against us Oni. But still, Fenrir is our finest warrior. To have tangled with him in equal standing would need to have taken a bit of a boost." Sadow smirked "I'm no ordinary human, Oni. I am a Marked One." She furled her brows sternly "A... what?" Sadow gave a look of utter disbelief "Huuuh? You don't even know what a Marked One is? What kind of Oni are you? Do you know nothing of your Demonic roo-" Before he could finish, Fenrir kicked a rock at his head comically to silence him. Lupa turned to him and he began to whistle with his hands behind his back, looking up at the sky. She continued "At any rate, I agreed to keep these two here tonight. Are you their companion?" Sadow replied "Maybe." She grimaced "If so, you are welcome to join them." Fenrir motioned to Lupa and whispered something in her canine ear. She looked at him curiously but nodded in approval "Fenrir requests your presence for a moment. After your discussion, you will join the large one by the tree." She pointed to a chained Baldr. He smirked "Lucky me." At this, Sadow was urged forward toward Fenrir's tent and practically thrown inside. Fenrir ordered the Oni that carried him to guard the tent outside. He entered to find Sadow looking at him with an annoyed expression. He began "They don't know." Sadow raised a brow "Hm? Don't know what?" Fenrir growled out "You know damn well what! The Demonic taint! They aren't aware of it!" Sadow's eyes faltered in understanding "Why not?" Fenrir looked away and sighed "What would a shtranger like you know of it? Theshe guysh are like family to me, and I don't think they'd like to know that they are related to Demonsh." Sadow smirked "They'll find out eventually. But that's not what you wanted to talk about, was it?" Fenrir glanced back at him and continued "Who are you people? Why are you here? Where are you travelling?" Sadow answered all three in order of when they were asked "A Yatsumaru, a Giant, and a little girl. We are here because you captured us on our travels. We are travelling to Olympus, and you guys cut us off. I was hired to protect them from you, to be completely honest." Fenrir chuckled slightly "Nishe work." Meanwhile, out of the corner of her eye, Pandora spotted the Oni boy from earlier, glancing at her from behind the cover of the tent. She smiled at him and waved slightly, causing him to hide further in child-like fear. She whispered in a kind, caring tone "It's alright. No need to be afraid." He looked around cautiously for sign of his mother and carefully stepped out of the tent and inched towards Pandora nervously. "Y-Y-Yes?"" Pandora smiled "What's your name?" He answered meekly "R-Romulas." Pandora continued to smile cutely "Sweet name." He turned away and smiled while blushing. "T-Thank you..." She giggled to herself and stated "My name is Pandora." He commented "Pretty..." Before they could talk further, Lupa commanded "Romulas, get back in the tent! I told you stay in there!" He protested "But, mum-" She interrupted "Now." He nodded while sighing "Yes mother." He glanced back at Pandora sadly and returned to the tent. Lupa turned to Pandora "As you can see, my son is a bit fragile. It's been that way since my mate and other son died, thanks to the prejudices of humans." Pandora looked sympathetically at her "What did they do...?" Lupa sighed and closed her eyes and explained "Five years ago, my family owned a small vegetable and spice plantation along the Gonjolian Highway, a great place for trade. Business was always strained to friends and friends of friends because people didn't like buying things from people like us. We had to rely on the money of those who knew and cared about us to survive. But one day, my mate defended our cart against a bunch of human hoodlums looking to destroy a month's worth of produce. Their parents didn't like it that we were hassling their kids. Thus, an argument broke out with my mate getting into a fight with one of the dads and the others joining in. They broke his nose and bruised him up but nothing serious. But that night, they went too far. They let fire to our home, intent on running us out of their territory. My eldest son, Remus, was still trapped in his room..." Tears started to drop from her eyes as she remembered her son's screams for help "...my mate went in to get him, but they both didn't come back out. Ever since, I have hated humans. And I don't think I'll ever recover from what they did." Pandora looked at her sympathetically, but protested her judgement "Not all humans are bad." Lupa only turned to her with an emotionless expression "Then show me a good human." Pandora frowned and looked away, and Lupa returned to her tent. Meanwhile, Fenrir continued to interrogate Sadow, and asked "Where'd ya' learn thoshe movesh of yoursh...?" Sadow answered "My family is renknown for their skill in combat. Not only that, but... I am a Marked One." At this, Fenrir's eyes widened in surprise "A... Marked One?!" Sadow nodded expressionlessly, and Fenrir turned away, thinking to himself "That would eckshplain how he managed to fight sho good! But..." He turned to Sadow and his eyes slowly turned red "...just to make sure..." Through his vision, Sadow was covered in glowing red runic tattoos and symbols, baring resemblance to those used in the Occult. Fenrir's fanged jaw dropped at the confirmation and he merely muttered "Sho.. You are a Marked One... I've never sheen one in the flesh before. I musht shay, you do live up to the talesh." Sadow smirked "For an Oni, you're not bad either. You seem to be tougher than the rest." Fenrir smirked and pointed his thumb to his chest proudly "I learned my shkillsh ash a runt in Boshcovol Shity, where I had ta' fight every day jusht to shurvive!" Sadow grimaced "Boscovol? That's quite a ways away from here." Fenrir shrugged casually "When I met thish pack yearsh ago we traveled alot before shettling down here in da' mountainsh." Sadow smirked "Didn't you have a family to depend on?" Fenrir shook his head, his mangy hair swaying from side to side as he did so "My mother wash jusht shome Oni whore who happened ta' get pregnant on da' job. I wash a cashtoff, a pup who could only depend on himshelf. What about you? What'sh your shtory shince we're getting all shentimental." As Sadow was about to speak, a loud roar of pain came from outside the tent. Fenrir jerked his head and quickly ran out to find the source of it was a bleeding Oni who had been shot, a bullet hole ripped in his side. The shot came from a human, who's gun was poised at three other Oni, who growled and sneered angrily at him. Sweat beat down the side of his head as he nervously kept his finger on the trigger, ready to fire. Lupa joined Fenrir and scowled at the man "Who are you?! What are you doing?!" The man gestured his head to the left, signaling his friends to join him. They creeped from behind a large rock, their hunting rifles also trained on the Oni. "We are here to get back our food and luxuries from you damn monsters!" She spat out "Greedy humans..." "I think not." At this, a man in a white suit with long, flowing dark hair with light bangs framing his face smirked at her "Not greedy to reclaim stolen possessions, beast. You know the job men, 50 silver cents for every Oni killed. A gold for captured ones. Now.. get to work." Snapping his fingers, the mercenaries opened fire on the Oni, who were either shot down or managed to get to cover just in time. Hiding behind a stone face, Fenrir unsheathed his cleaver while keeping on the lookout for any opportunity to get to them. Lupa managed to sneak around to the back of the group and land a hard punch to one of the mercenaries' faces, the spikes on her knuckles slicing into his skin and scarring him. He crumpled to the ground, clutching his bleeding face in agony. She retreated back behind cover as they turned and opened fire on it. Seeing his chance, Fenrir signalled the other Oni to charge behind the distracted mercenaries and disarm them. Fenrir slashed through the rifle of the mercenary who shot the first Oni, shattering it and causing the man to tremble in fright. The man in the suit, however, revealed a small handgun handcuffed to his wrist and aimed it at Fenrir's head "That's quite enough now. You're quite the tenacious one, aren't you? You two, cuff this one. The rest of you beasts, if you don't want this blonde one dead I'd suggest you drop your weapons, put your hands behind your heads, and drop to your knees, now." They did as they were told as two mercenaries put handcuffs around Fenrir's wrists. The rest of the Mercenaries cuffed the other Oni and held their weapons against them until a large loading truck arrived. It was armoured for no hope of escape. The man smirked as the mercenaries loaded the Oni into the truck two-by-two. The last to be loaded were Fenrir and Lupa, who was demanding to know what they were going to do to them. She feared for her son, and tears streamed down her cheeks as the mercenaries closed the doors. The suit-wearing man then commanded "Search the camp. Anything you find goes into the orange truck. If any more Oni are found, however, they go in the second transport. Even the wounded." One younger mercenary walked up and announced "Sir, we've found captured people." He raised a brow "People? I had no idea these animals were the sort for kidnapping. Very well, bring them to me for questioning." He nodded in compliance "Right away, sir." and took off. Pandora and Baldr were released and taken to the suit-wearing man. Out of the corner of her eye, though, she could see Romulas trying to resist capture but being lead away by an armed man, who was pulling him by the wrist. She knew these people couldn't be trusted right away. The suited man smiled at them cheerfully and greeted "Salutations my good man and lady. I am Mr. Hans, or as my associates call me, Mr. White, obviously from my choice in wear. I am glad we could get to you before these savage beasts could do anything." Baldr nodded "We thank you, sir, for your-" He was cutoff by Pandora, who boldly asked "Where are you taking them?" Hans smiled at her and asked innocently "Might I ask who you are referring to, my dear?" Her expression didn't change and she persisted "The Oni. Where are they being taken?" He continued to smile "Why one of our detainment facilities, of course. There they will be processed into our reformation program and pay off their debt to society-" She lashed "Through forced labour?" Hans looked surprised by this and grimaced "Well... They are animals, miss. It's nothing to be looked down on." She yelled "Of course it's-" Her mouth was covered by Baldr's index finger as he apologized "I'm sorry, sir. She's had a rough day." He nods "I understand. It must have been rough. I hope none of them hurt you." He shook his head "We're fine but... There should be another captive. A white-haired man in black armour and red cloth." Hans stroked his chin thoughtfully "You two are the only captives we've found so far but we're still looking, don't worry." Pandora, behind Baldr's shielding embrace, glared at the man, spooking him a bit. He walked off, leaving the two with two of his mercenaries. Meanwhile, Sadow watched atop a tree branch as the trucks we're loaded with the rest of the Oni, including Romulas. Uriel watched the scene from behind him, her Angelic wings flapping silently to keep her aloft instead of standing on the tree branch as Sadow was. She commented "All those men are itching with fear and superstition, while the white-suited guy is filled with greed. All he cares about is the profit off those poor people's upcoming servitude and enslavement. We must help them!" Sadow didn't look at her "Why? I'm already sidetracked as it is, why bother with the problems of these people?" Uriel frowned "I heard you and the Oni in the tent. You two were bonding. Don't you want to help your friend?" Sadow turned to her "He is not my friend. He is merely an obstacle that is no longer present." She frowned at him "I know you don't think that." He turned to her without expression "How do you know what I think?" At this, he climbed down the tree. She frowned down at him and muttered "Oh you are so bad..." She flied down and stopped in front of him, holding her hands out in front to impede his progress. He raises a brow "Hm? What gives?" She continues "Look it's my job to see you into Heaven, and until you start making some selfless decisions, I'm not gonna give you a moment's rest about-" At this, Sadow slaps her hard on the buttocks, causing her to yelp and jump in pain. She rubs it while comically yelling "What the heck was that for?!" He replied without looking at her "For getting in my way while I'm walking." She grimaced and looked down, spotting a small rock. Picking it up, she tentatively pulled her arm back and through it at his head. It smacked hard into the back of his head, jerking him forward. She comically stood, frozen in anticipating fear as Sadow slowly creeped his head back at her, wearing a look of murderous intent "What... was... that...?" She whimpered slightly and started to back away. Sadow turned and took slow steps toward her, a mad grin on his face. She turned and comically screamed in fright as he chased after her, yelling "Get back here you pigeon-bitch! I'm gonna tear those wings off!" Little did he know, however, Uriel was leading him straight to the loading trucks. Pandora tried to reason with Baldr "We have to do something to help those Oni, Baldr! They don't deserve enslavement!" Baldr reasoned "They were holding us prisoner, misstress. Besides, finding the Yatsumaru is our only concern at this time." She didn't look at him, and instead watched on as the mercenaries carried the belongings into an orange truck. She was alarmed at the sight of Sadow running toward the trucks in an angry frenzy, and smiled believing he was intent to stop them. Uriel, reaching the trucks, pressed her back against it with a helpless look on her face. Sadow smirked evilly "Got ya'..." He charged at her but she dove into the hair and took flight, dodging his charge so he slammed into the truck, rocking it. At this, the mercenaries assumed he was trying to rescue the Oni and opened fire on him, to which he tore some of the armour off of the truck with his bare hands and used it as a shield. Uriel, Pandora, and Baldr all witnessed this and were awed by his strength. The mercenaries, shocked by this, stopped firing. This gave Sadow the opportunity to the run up to them at quick speeds and slam his makeshift shield into them, knocking them and their weapons to the ground. He tossed it at a distanced mercenary who was taking aim on him, the square sheet of metal hovering toward him like a large shuriken. It slammed into him and knocked him off of the boulder he was standing on as well as causing him to misfire. Meanwhile, the truck containing Lupa and Fenrir was being occupied by two mercenaries, one at the driver's seat and one at the passenger's with a small cage-like attachment in the wall separating them from the Oni as the only way the mercenaries and the Oni could see each other. The mercenary in the passenger's seat, also the one who took the first shot, was examining his find; Fenrir's cleaver. He smirked while using it to shave off his stubble "Nice blade you got here, fuzz-bag." Fenrir snarled at him angrily "I want that back..." The mercenary with the cleaver began laughing obnoxiously "Oh? Is that so? The animal wants its' toy back?" The driver then smirked "Don't bother, Tony. That beast'll probably not even know what to do with it." Fenrir murmured angrily "I'll show you what I would do with it..." The mercenary with the cleaver, identified as Tony, overheard and demands "Say what now?" The driver then exclaimed "Hey Tony, look!" He pointed to Tony's side-view mirror, to which it showed Sadow pummeling mercenary after mercenary. Tony then commanded "Wheel this thing around, Jack! We'll give him the run-down..." He chuckled sadistically as the driver turned the truck around to run Sadow over. As all of this was ocurring, Hans was discussing with a mercenary on how much room the orange truck could fit and if they'd need to make a second trip. The two overheard the commotion and hurried to investigate when they saw eight mercenaries having been beaten to unconciousness by Sadow and one of the armoured trucks preparing to run him over. His eyes widened in terror and he commanded the mercenary at his side "Quick! Go and stop those men before they land us another lawsuit!" The mercenary explained "With this distance, I'll never make it-" He was pushed off the edge and toward them by a worried Hans "Hurry!" The mercenary ran hurriedly toward them, panting the way down. Sadow, who was lifting a mercenary by the neck, didn't notice the vehicle nearing him. Uriel, overlooking the scene, gasped and cried out "Lookout!" Sadow turned, hearing Uriel's voice, and instinctively threw the mercenary at the truck's windshield, cracking it but not shattering it. Surprised but not halted, the mercenaries continued to drive the truck toward Sadow as the one who was thrown rolled off of the top and hit the hard ground, unconcious. Both Uriel and Hans gave an "Ouch..." look as they saw him topple off of the truck. Sadow pulled his arm back, fist clenched in a hard punch motion as the driver questioned his tactic. Realizing what was about to happen, Tony quickly demanded "Stop the tru-!" But it was too late, Sadow had slammed his fist into the engine of the truck, stopping it and lifting the back of it a few meters into the air, causing all of the Oni inside to fall against the wall separating them from the drivers, who were now flying through the now-shattered windshield due to not wearing their seat belts. In slow motion, Sadow managed to grab their sides and halt their movement before they splattered against the hard ground, saving them. The truck, who's engine was now smoking and emitting a loud fuming noise, settled back down to earth as Sadow let go of the mercenaries. They stood for a moment, frozen in fear and surprise. Tony dropped the cleaver to the ground clatteringly as Sadow walked past them, behind the armoured vehicle, and tore off the doors, releasing the still-shackled Oni. With his blades, he cut off their shackles and freed them. He then shouted up at Uriel "Happy now?!" While some were confused, unnable to see the Angel, others were surprised that an Angel was even in there. Fenrir, on the other hand, wasn't due to seeing her before. She only giggled and pointed to the other, slightly damaged truck and informed "You missed one." As Sadow was walking over to the second truck, Hans shoved the mercenary he had run to Sadow out of the way, spitting out "Useless wretch!" Upon reaching Sadow, he demanded "What have you done?! You have not only damaged Union Trade Guild property, but you have also harmed a good number of it's employees AND released our stock! What do you have to say for yourself!?" Sadow ignored him and continued on his path, pulling off the doors of the second armoured truck upon reaching it. The drivers simply scrambled out and ran off for their lives. Uriel smiled down at them as Lupa and Romulas were re-united. Fenrir smirked down at Tony, who had fallen on his knees in shock, and picked up his signature cleaver. Tony whimpered in fear as Fenrir chuckled and blasted the back of the mercenaries' head with the handle of his weapon, knocking him unconcious. Lupa, in the meanwhile, glared at Hans and demanded "Flee these lands and do not return, for if you do I can assure you, your companies' benefits will be the last thing on your mind." Hans grimaced and turned away, his long hair swaying with his movement. He got into the armoured truck and started it, frowning at Lupa "This isn't over..." He then drove off, with his newly-awakening mercenaries running off after him comically. Lupa then turned to Sadow, who was now rejoined by Baldr and Pandora, and asked "You... saved us... why? Why would you do this?" Sadow raised a brow at her and replied casually "I suppose you wouldn't believe me if I told you a little birdie told me to." Uriel protested while fluttering down at them "I am no bird you... ingrate!" Lupa and some other Oni gasped as Pandora muttered, wide-eyed "An... Angel...?" She smiled at Pandora and greeted "I am Uriel, Angel of Redemption. I am here to-" She was pulled down to her feet by the ankle by a displeased Sadow, who summarized "She'll be traveling with us now, I guess." Uriel huffed and brushed her skirt clean "Yes, quite..." Lupa smiled at Uriel and bowed "Thank you, Miss Uriel, for your convincing this man to help us. And thank you, Mister..." Sadow scratched his head casually while closing his eyes and looking away "Sadow. Yatsumaru Sadow." She smiled "Thank you Sadow. I suppose not all humans are bad." He shrugged casually as Fenrir shouted "Hey, Yatshumaru!" As Sadow started to turn, Fenrir punched him in the back of the head while wearing a wide grin. "Thanksh fer shaving ush and all." Sadow rubbed the back of his head in pain "You have a nice way of thanking me... And I didn't shave you, I saved you..." Fenrir looked distraught "That'sh what I shaid, shaved ush." Sadow gave a look of annoyance "Saved us." Fenrir repeated "Shaved ush." Sadow continued "Saved us!" Fenrir raised his voice to Sadow's "Shaved ush!" Sadow bellowed "SAVED US!" Fenrir bellowed in return "SHAVED USH!" Sadow smirked and quickly chimed "Shaved ush." Fenrir bellowed "SAVED US!" Sadow began laughing as Fenrir looked distraught at what had happened. Uriel just hovered by them with an annoyed look "Imbeciles." Baldr announced "Well now that we have Sadow back and we helped you, may we go?" Lupa nodded "We apologize for all the trouble we caused you." Pandora smiled "No, it's alright." Romulas walked up to her and hugged her goodbye "Bye, Pandora." She smiled and patted Romulas' head "Take it easy, kiddo." He smiled and joined his mother in seeing the trio off. They walked down the mountain path as Fenrir shouts "Hey, Yatshumaru! Don't die out there! I want to fight you again one day, alright?!" Sadow smirks and shouts back "I'll try not to!" At this, they continue on their path but at a much slower pace due to the lack of a vehicle, the trucks either destroyed or taken when the mercenaries fled. Uriel rejoined them and hummed a song to herself while walking, the group reaching the end of a valley as the sun sets next to them. Preview Next Chapter, the four meet a man who is destined to wield the gun. But fate looms over them like a blanketing shadow. Will Sadow and this new gunslinger be able to fend off this mysterious swordsman? Find out in the next chapter of My Inferno!